Music: Digital or Hard Copy?

[lordscarlet]

Do you buy your music from iTunes (or another service) or prefer to buy CDs (or, I suppose for some, on vinyl)?

Any commentary might include an age range. ;)

[Fidatelo]

iTunes exclusively at this point. CDs are dead to me.

[Antmeister]

Since I hardly ever buy an entire album, I don't buy CDs anymore. It is rare that I like more than 2 songs on a majority of them.

[Kodos]

I'll buy from iTunes if I just want an isolated song from a group. But if one of my favorite groups comes out with an album, I try to buy the CD and then immediately put it on my iPod. That way, I have a backup copy in case something happens to my computer.

[Lathum]

I never actualy "buy" music.

[Marc Vaughan]

Digital - used to prefer hard copies but I've found in practice having digital copies is safer as my CD's get scratched but a digital copy can be re-dowloaded if there's a problem.

(I'm a semi-old git - 37)

[Fidatelo]

I don't think you can re-download iTunes purchases, can you?

[path12]

I haven't bought a hard copy in two years and don't forsee it going forward. It is such a time and space saver to have everything on the computer/ipod. I do have all that backed up on about 10 discs however just in case something happens to the hard drive.

Age 46 if it matters.

[Hurst2112]

I try to buy CDs instead of digital as much as I can. I'm from the age of looking through liner notes. That's a lost tradition with the kids.

I don't buy nearly as much music as I used to. I was on a kick of digital for awhile, grabbing old cds that I didn't have in my collection.

Not to mention, there's a rush of excitement that comes from running into a store on the day of a release. Very cool, nostalgic feeling.

[Honolulu_Blue]

iTunes exclusively at this point. CDs are dead to me.

Since I hardly ever buy an entire album, I don't buy CDs anymore. It is rare that I like more than 2 songs on a majority of them.

+1.

I'm 34.

[Hurst2112]

the 'she' gets annoyed at me on trips back home. She's all about 2 songs here, 1 song there. When I get to choose the music, I'm a full CD at a time guy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Rarely buy a hard copy anymore, except when iTunes doesn't have something I'm looking for (AC/DC earlier this month for example).

[Fidatelo]

Oh I should add that I'm 30.

[Surtt]

CDs

Most albums (that should give my age away) have a lot of filler, but I listen to music all day at work so filler is good. Also albums will have 1 or2 gems that I like but are not hits and I would never have found if I didn't listen to the whole thing.

[samifan24]

I'm 25 and I buy hard copy. I like having the hard copy backups and don't like worrying about losing everything that's on my computer. I know I could burn copies of everything but I prefer having the CD with artwork and a case.

[Karlifornia]

It's a combination of both with me. I'm not against digital anymore. It's just more convenient now. However, I agree with Hurst that there's something cool about going to the record store the day something you've been anticipating comes out, and then opening the package and looking at the stupid artwork and lyrics you haven't even heard yet. You see all those new lyrics, and you're like "damn, I hope these songs are good."

With downloading, it's sometimes more like "I'll probably never know if these songs are good, because I've got the hits!"

[Terps]

I don't own a CD. I'm 26.

[Cringer]

I don't really buy anything anymore, unless you count Sirius Radio as buying music. It goes just about everywhere I go, so it is all I need really.

The music I put on my phone to listen to sometimes is stuff I downloaded from Real Player's music library, which were free downloads I got from paying for something else with them. $10 credit a month for a few months got me a few albums of downloads.

[MizzouRah]

I'm an itune junkie.. just like my kids...

[DeToxRox]

I end up losing or scratching CD's, so give me digital. Burning an MP3 CD with 500 songs is sensational.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I don't buy CDs anymore. I just use my Napster subscription to download pretty much any music I want. It goes onto my Creative player, and as long as I keep paying Napster, I can essentially keep the music as long as I want to. It gives me a chance to listen to artists and songs that I probably wouldn't consider otherwise. "Oh, Napster says that Band A is like Band B? OK, let's download all of Band A's CDs and see what they sound like." It's simple for me.

[DanGarion]

It's a combination of both with me. I'm not against digital anymore. It's just more convenient now. However, I agree with Hurst that there's something cool about going to the record store the day something you've been anticipating comes out, and then opening the package and looking at the stupid artwork and lyrics you haven't even heard yet. You see all those new lyrics, and you're like "damn, I hope these songs are good."

With downloading, it's sometimes more like "I'll probably never know if these songs are good, because I've got the hits!"
*2

[Draft Dodger]

I have several hundred CDs packed away in boxes, but I haven't bought a new CD in, I'm guessing, 5 years.

[lordscarlet]

I never actualy "buy" music.

Disqualified! :)

So, the whole point was that Wade and I were talking about music. And he said I was an old man for wanting to buy CD's. I do sit with the "If I want to buy 1 or 2 songs" people in buying music on itunes, but if I want an album (and there are plenty of bands out there putting out quality albums, but, to be elitist, you rarely hear them on the radio) I will buy the CD.

[cthomer5000]

Download all the way. 29 years old, and recovered CD addict. I had like 1,300 when i stopped buying them entirely about 3 years ago, plus boxes of 7" records and shit.

I'll trade the loss in audio quality for the convenience of having everything I own at my fingertips. And I just don't have the room, or want to spend the room to store all that stuff.

Also, it should be said that I will flat-out turn down phyiscal CDs when offered them. I work at a radio station and therefore have the opportunity for a lot of free music, for bona fide legit work purposes. I would simply rather rip the music to MP3 and leave the CD sitting in the station library than take it home with me.

[Marc Vaughan]

I don't think you can re-download iTunes purchases, can you?

I've found you can kinda cheat and mirror an itunes purchase by simply docking the iPod in a different location from time to time, I've got the same stuff on this laptop and on my Mac desktop that way ...

The Mac gets its knickers in a twist occassionally over it ... but apart from that its fine and if either falls over I can fall back to the other one.

[Groundhog]

I rarely buy new albums these days, but it's been iTunes when I have - out of laziness and convenience more than anything else. Plus, it's a pain in the ass storing CDs. I used to love looking at my massive CD collection, but these days they just take up a ton of space.

[Schmidty]

I do both, but I prefer a hard copy. I like reading the liner notes, the art, etc.

[Fidatelo]

I've found you can kinda cheat and mirror an itunes purchase by simply docking the iPod in a different location from time to time, I've got the same stuff on this laptop and on my Mac desktop that way ...

The Mac gets its knickers in a twist occassionally over it ... but apart from that its fine and if either falls over I can fall back to the other one.

This solution assumes you have the purchased content on your iPod. I have songs I've purchased that I don't currently have synced to my iPod, so if the hard drive I keep my music collection on dies I'm SOL for that stuff.

On the positive side, I have no qualms about using bittorrent to acquire music I've already paid for, so in a sense most of my stuff is backed up :)

[Raiders Army]

I'll buy from iTunes if I just want an isolated song from a group. But if one of my favorite groups comes out with an album, I try to buy the CD and then immediately put it on my iPod. That way, I have a backup copy in case something happens to my computer.

ditto; however, I picked CDs since we buy them more.

[Honolulu Blue]

I'm not going to disclose my age, but you can get a hint from the approximate number of albums I have and their type:

LP - 100+singles
Cassette - 200+singles
CD - 30
Digital - 10+single songs

Yes, I'm that old.

Anyway, my digital music purchases, unlike most in this thread, have been exclusively from Amazon.com. I browsed iTunes, didn't like it, and was thrilled when Jeff's boys expanded their library.

There are some nice things about digital music - it can be played directly on the computer or my MP3 player, I can buy as many songs as I want without buying the album, and Amazon has some really nice specials.

Of course, with CDs, you get the cover design, liner notes, and lyrics. All of those are of interest at times, especially the lyrics.

I haven't been put to the test yet in that no one I really like has put out an album since I've been buying digital music (about a year). When that occurs, what I suspect will happen is that if I can get a deal on the download version I'll do that, and if I can't I'll buy the CD.

[lordscarlet]

Apparently I am an old man, then. :) The basic problem is that I'm not diligent enough in my backup practices. :)

[ISiddiqui]

Hard copy. Like to have a backup, just in case. And easier to use in the car.

Btw, I'm 28

[gstelmack]

I don't buy much music. When I do, it's a mix - I buy CDs for music collections, especially for the kids, or hit an online place for single songs. CDs get ripped to the computer so I can remix or listen on the 360.

My big issue is I'm a WMA guy, and it's hard to find good WMA places for online downloads anymore. I did Rhapsody for a while.

[3ric]

So, the whole point was that Wade and I were talking about music. And he said I was an old man for wanting to buy CD's. I do sit with the "If I want to buy 1 or 2 songs" people in buying music on itunes, but if I want an album (and there are plenty of bands out there putting out quality albums, but, to be elitist, you rarely hear them on the radio) I will buy the CD.

That's about where I am as well... if I buy a whole album on digital, it's because I'm not sure if I like it or not.